Welcome to Whitken & Co.! We are a design studio and lifestyle blog based in Anderson, SC. Our goal is to help you create a beautiful functional, and healing home for you and your family to live, work, play in, and share with others.

I had been wanting to change the name of my blog for a long time. When I first started the blog, it was actually for my photography business, Whitney Donae Photography. When I made the switch to interior design, I just dropped the photography off for lack of not being able to think of anything better. Naming your blog or business is a huge commitment, and I wanted it to be something I felt 100% sure about and wouldn't regret in a few years. I had no idea what I wanted the blog to become, but I knew that I wanted it to be bigger than myself. I wanted something that would encompass us as a family and allow us to grow as a brand and business. I shared my vision with Kendall and we worked on brainstorming names. I threw the name Whiken out there and he told me it was stupid. (Don't worry, it wasn't as rude as it sounds! I am blessed with an extremely kind and supportive husband. And a very honest one, apparently.) I also tried Kenwhit, but it just sounded too much like an appliance company to me.

Well, fast forward several months. I still couldn't get the name Whitken out of my head, but I also had another name I liked and threw into the pot. I love, love, love me some textiles, and I kind of dream of having my own textile line someday.

I came up with the name Unfold Home. Kind of like you unfold your sheets or snap a towel from your linens to use, but I also thought it captured the idea of something that happened slowly and over time until it was something really beautiful.

When I threw out the name Whitken and Co. to Kendall the second time he actually really liked it. (Don't worry. I reminded him that just a few months ago he had told me it was stupid.) I also threw out the name Unfold Home and he liked it too, but was leaning more towards Whitken & Co.

So, to help us decide, I ran a very scientific poll on my personal Facebook page, and asked people to vote for which one they liked.

Whitken & Co. won out almost unanimously. A lot of mamas told me that Unfold Home reminded them of laundry and didn't spark good feelings so even though I liked it, it had to go. I still like the name and who knows, maybe one day I'll use it for that textile line I want to create.

Anywhoo, that's how our name came to be. Obviously it's a combination of our two names, and I like that it sounds and looks timeless, but also has a little bit of whimsy to it. I think it sounds like the the style we hope to create and embody in our designs and I'm so excited to 'unfold' all the dreams and plans we have for it in the months and years to come.